This page: If a kitten tests positive for
the FIV virus, it probably does NOT have FIV! - find out why, and
how to clarify to situation

More about FIV - Kittens

What if kittens
test positive for FIV?

Kittens that test positive for FIV probably do NOT have FIV!

Kittens born to an FIV mother will inherit her antibodies, but not
usually the virus.

A mother cat with FIV will have FIV antibodies which are produced by
her immune system in response to the virus.

When pregnant, she will pass these antibodies to her kittens through
the blood, but she will not pass the virus, which will not cross the
placenta.

Because the usual test for FIV actually looks for the antibodies and
not the virus, a kitten from an FIV mother will show positive on the
test without any virus being present.

As the kittens grow, they will gradually lose their inherited
protection, and will then test negative. This can take several months,
the actual time varies between kittens, so any FIV positive test is
not safe until the kitten is at least six months old, and possibly
older.

Kittens who really are FIV positive, are not common. The virus is
present in the milk, and yet it is rare that the kittens actually get
the virus from their mother (this also shows how hard it is to
transmit the virus across the mucous membrane, indicating that the
virus is not at all contageous).

We recently were in contact with a rescue group who rescued 18 kittens
from a farm colony - all kittens tested positive for FIV. Later, the
group tested them again with a PCR test (which actually tests for the
dna of the virus itself) which showed that of the 18, only one was
actually infected with the virus.

If a kitten really is FIV, then it is thought that their life may be
shorter than most because they were infected before their immune
system was developed. However, we have heard of FIV kittens that have
remained healthy and not picked up general sniffles and runny eyes
when their non-FIV siblings have done so, so we are not sure just how
they are affected.